Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Ummon on May 31, 2008, 02:12:42 am

Title: My audio amp isn't toast....But
Post by: Ummon on May 31, 2008, 02:12:42 am
There's an audio amp in my Capcom Impress. It looks fine, though as we know that doesn't necessarily mean anything when it comes to electronic components. With the Tetris board that came with it, there was no audio. I'm assuming it was mono, as the rca connectors weren't being used. I connected my computer audio out to those and no audio, either. I did have the main switch inside the cab on. What else can I do to troubleshoot this?
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: SirPeale on May 31, 2008, 09:20:31 am
First, check to make sure it's actually getting power.  Check the fuse as well *with*a*meter*.

Assuming those requirements have been met, I'd bet on the amp transistors being toast.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Ummon on July 20, 2008, 08:41:04 pm
I'm not used to checking fuses with a meter, but I got no readings when I touched the leads to either side. I made sure the cab was on. (Incidentally, I noticed the monitor has to be plugged in to the PS for anything else to turn on. Is this what's meant by a switching PS?) I also tested what I thought were the hot and ground(s) that connect at the back of the board, behind that big heat sink, and nothing there either.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: DJ Infinity on July 20, 2008, 09:54:15 pm
I have a coupla NAOMI sound amps. They look similar. If Ya want one you mave have it. I have no need for it. My cab(s) use powered speakers.  :cheers:
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: SirPeale on July 21, 2008, 08:24:02 am
I'm not used to checking fuses with a meter, but I got no readings when I touched the leads to either side. I made sure the cab was on. (Incidentally, I noticed the monitor has to be plugged in to the PS for anything else to turn on. Is this what's meant by a switching PS?) I also tested what I thought were the hot and ground(s) that connect at the back of the board, behind that big heat sink, and nothing there either.

Ai...that's not how you check a fuse.  Pull the fuse, set your meter to ohms.  Probes on both sides of the fuse, but make sure you only handle one side with your hands, otherwise you will be reading your body, not the fuse.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: protokatie on July 21, 2008, 12:03:24 pm
Quote
Ai...that's not how you check a fuse.  Pull the fuse, set your meter to ohms.  Probes on both sides of the fuse, but make sure you only handle one side with your hands, otherwise you will be reading your body, not the fuse.

Don't forget the add-in of "check to make sure the battery in the multimeter is still good". As Ohm (resistance) metering requires that the multimeter has a small (but still working) power supply of its own. (Should just be something like a standard 9-volt battery)

Edit: All of you "hip cats" these days use digital meters, so I guess my suggestion to check the battery is moot...  :'(
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Ummon on July 21, 2008, 10:25:32 pm
I have a coupla NAOMI sound amps. They look similar. If Ya want one you mave have it. I have no need for it. My cab(s) use powered speakers.  :cheers:

Dude, that would be mondo awesome. I'll PM you promptly.


Edit: All of you "hip cats" these days use digital meters, so I guess my suggestion to check the battery is moot...  :'(

That's what I was feeling might be the case. I have a digital meter.







Ai...that's not how you check a fuse.  Pull the fuse, set your meter to ohms.  Probes on both sides of the fuse, but make sure you only handle one side with your hands, otherwise you will be reading your body, not the fuse.

What, you can't measure the fuse while it's still in there? However, I was thinking I needed to measure volts, not resistance. Still, I did measure voltage at those connections at the back of the board, and shouldn't there have been some if it was getting power?
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Blanka on July 22, 2008, 02:05:25 am
I have a coupla NAOMI sound amps. They look similar. If Ya want one you mave have it. I have no need for it. My cab(s) use powered speakers.  :cheers:
Wow!, this amp looks like its capable of things way beyond your 'powered speakers'. This thing must be able to do 2x80 watt stereo on pretty audiophile levels if I look at the components. Is there a big torroid to supply the power? What a waste you chose powered PC speakers instead! Get some serious drivers for it.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: DJ Infinity on July 22, 2008, 03:26:24 am
Powered Speakers are cool enough for me thanx. Easy to setup and they sound great especially if you have some car speakers. You can adjust Bass etc.  :cheers:
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Ummon on July 23, 2008, 12:42:06 am
I have a coupla NAOMI sound amps. They look similar. If Ya want one you mave have it. I have no need for it. My cab(s) use powered speakers.  :cheers:
Wow!, this amp looks like its capable of things way beyond your 'powered speakers'. This thing must be able to do 2x80 watt stereo on pretty audiophile levels if I look at the components. Is there a big torroid to supply the power? What a waste you chose powered PC speakers instead! Get some serious drivers for it.

Well, you could. But I likely wouldn't mess with it either if I didn't already have (what I think are) good speakers in the candy already. It's far easier to just get some decent PC speakers, which are plenty loud enough for me.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Blanka on July 23, 2008, 03:47:51 am
Can you do a thing Ummon? Can you give the type-numbers of the 2 amp-chips on the heatsink? Wonder what they used for that.
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Ummon on July 24, 2008, 01:40:25 am
Can you do a thing Ummon? Can you give the type-numbers of the 2 amp-chips on the heatsink? Wonder what they used for that.

Is the picture I posted sufficient to show me exactly where you mean?
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Blanka on July 24, 2008, 04:28:25 am
I was able to brighten things up a bit, but the text stays unreadable:
(http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/3333/indexil2.jpg)
So can you post the numbers in the red circles?
Title: Re: Is my audio amp toast?
Post by: Ummon on July 25, 2008, 08:42:04 pm
Those are what I thought you meant, but I don't know such things so wanted to be sure. It'll be a little bit before I get it out of the cabinet, but I'll do it then.
Title: Re: My audio amp isn't toast....But
Post by: Ummon on April 08, 2009, 01:59:43 am
Here's a video of my latest experience on this matter. By the way, I missed showing the audio cables in the first part of the vid, but essentially I manipulated the wires above that ferrite ring thing, and nothing happened. Every time it made the clipping sound was when I manipulated the cables between the ring and the rca plugs, and only on the white side, so maybe the white and black wires that go to that plug are shorting? (Also, regarding the led behind 'the big capacitor on the amp', refer to the first picture above, top-left of the image.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP0AJD9vqsA
Title: Re: My audio amp isn't toast....But
Post by: Ed_McCarron on April 08, 2009, 05:21:38 pm
That toroid is probably a filter, not a transformer.  Seems small for a transformer in the power supply.

You can check a fuse in circuit and under power by looking for voltage ACROSS it.  If you see the power supply voltage across it, its open.

Got a schematic?  Got power?

Get another small amp.  Tie the input grounds together.  Feed audio into the amp under test.  Trace the audio through the circuit until it stops.  The component  before that point is probably bad.

Its a lot of work for something thats fairly easy to replace.  An amp is an amp, no?
Title: Re: My audio amp isn't toast....But
Post by: Ummon on April 08, 2009, 10:56:44 pm
I got another amp from somone, but the coupling was way different. I didn't want to hack the harness if I didn't have to. And that ring I mentioned I said was a ferrite ring, so I guess a filter like you were saying.

Anyways, I think it's likely the power supply is bad, which is what I should've concentrated on a long time ago and yanked the ---smurf--- out. Now I've lost my security bit so I have to go get one just to do that. Sheesh.